Aloha from Hōlanikū! Here is the latest blog from Kayla.
We’ve had an eventful week on Hōlanikū wrapping up the summer season. Transecting this week was somewhat tranquil, we wrapped up the remaining more challenging plots for this month’s scheduler. Sunny mornings had us drenched in sweat by lunch time. It’s been very dry lately, but we finally received some much needed rain Sunday morning. With little rain, we’ve also had very little Verbesina. It can be challenging transecting multiple plots day after day and finding no verb, but it’s also a great reminder of the hard work the many teams before us have put in. With the weather starting to switch, we can expect more keiki popping up as the winter season begins.
Other projects this week include cleaning the Cistern roof, taking photo points around the island, and preparing for the upcoming ship (more to follow on this). The highlight of our week was the Shorebird Survey we conducted on Friday morning culminating with the final totals:
– 120 Kōlea / Pacific Golden-Plovers
– 152 ‘Akekeke / Ruddy Turnstones
– 1 Kioea / Bristle-thighed Curlew
– 2 Hunakai / Sanderling
– 7 ‘Ūlili / Wandering Tattler
– 1 Western Sandpiper
– 1 Black-bellied Plover
It was refreshing to get out on the beaches and give attention to our sometimes overlooked shorebirds. We were also able to pull up several marine debris lines that had recently washed up.
Next Wednesday the ship will be arriving for crew-swap. It is with a heavy heart that we will say goodbye to our summer co-lead Dwight, the island won’t be the same without his jokes! On a more positive note, I cannot wait for our new volunteer to arrive! Don’t get me wrong, I love our little Kure family, but I am so excited to have another gal on the island 
Highlights: Kayla’s pumpkin bread, continued horror/thriller movie marathon, Nick made pizza (best dough yet), GORGEOUS SUNRISES
Bird Observations: Still have a Northern Pintail and a Cattle Egret hanging around, Nick saw a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at South Point.